Corporations Can't Make Medical Decisions. Doctors Say A St. David's Contractor Is Doing Just That.

[TexasTowelie]

A federal lawsuit filed by a group of doctors in Austin is accusing a company hired by St. David’s of violating a state law that prohibits non-physicians from practicing medicine.

Hospital Internists of Texas (HIT), a group of doctors working at St. David’s HealthCare in Austin, filed the federal lawsuit on May 31 against the Tennessee-based hospital-staffing company called TeamHealth.

According to Luke Redman, the CEO for HIT, St. David’s partnered with TeamHealth a couple of years ago to staff St. David’s, because administrators didn't want to "disturb the footprint of doctors within the hospital."

So, TeamHealth became an intermediary for the hospital. For example, when doctors delivered care to patients, they would bill TeamHealth, which would then handle the billing issues with patients.

Read more: http://www.kut.org/post/corporations-cant-make-medical-decisions-doctors-say-st-davids-contractor-doing-just

[tulipsandroses]

1. I think thats the dirty secret of today's healthcare

I am a nurse. A psych nurse. I see this happen too damn often. Patients discharged way too early. I know my docs are pressured to discharge patients based on how many days insurance will pay for. Not based on how sick the patient is. Healthcare is a business. Someone has to watch the money, but its gotten out of control.